近日，美国加州大学伯克利分校Yang Dan及其研究小组发现，黑质中存在一个睡眠和运动的共同控制枢纽。相关论文2020年1月24日发表在《科学》上。

Title: A common hub for sleep and motor control in the substantia nigra

Author: Danqian Liu, Weifu Li, Chenyan Ma, Weitong Zheng, Yuanyuan Yao, Chak Foon Tso, Peng Zhong, Xi Chen, Jun Ho Song, Woochul Choi, Se-Bum Paik, Hua Han, Yang Dan

Issue&Volume: 2020/01/24

Abstract: The arousal state of the brain covaries with the motor state of the animal. How these state changes are coordinated remains unclear. We discovered that sleep–wake brain states and motor behaviors are coregulated by shared neurons in the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr). Analysis of mouse home-cage behavior identified four states with different levels of brain arousal and motor activity: locomotion, nonlocomotor movement, quiet wakefulness, and sleep; transitions occurred not randomly but primarily between neighboring states. The glutamic acid decarboxylase 2 but not the parvalbumin subset of SNr γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)–releasing (GABAergic) neurons was preferentially active in states of low motor activity and arousal. Their activation or inactivation biased the direction of natural behavioral transitions and promoted or suppressed sleep, respectively. These GABAergic neurons integrate wide-ranging inputs and innervate multiple arousal-promoting and motor-control circuits through extensive collateral projections.

DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz0956

Source: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6476/440